Salvador Mateos-Suarez is charged with felony sexual exploitation of a child after being taken into custody Wednesday

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A Zion man is accused of touching himself inappropriately in front of an elementary school girl.

Salvador Mateos-Suarez, 29, of the 2100 block of Gilead Avenue, was charged with felony sexual exploitation of a child after being taken into custody Wednesday.

Police said the sixth-grade girl told authorities she was walking to school when Mateos-Suarez stopped to ask her for directions. He then rolled his window down so the student could see that he was masturbating, the Lake County News-Sun reported.

Mateos-Suarez also is thought to have driven up to other elementary school girls last week while they were walking to Zion schools, police said. In those incidents, police said girls were also asked for directions. The charge was classified as a felony because he allegedly committed the act within 500 feet of a school or park. He was being held on $50,000 bond in the Lake County jail.

Deputy Police Chief Kirk Henderson said Mateos-Suarez was not on any sex offender registration lists.

"But if he’s found guilty he will have to be," Henderson said.

Published at 8:39 AM CDT on Jun 9, 2014

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